


creatures of the night and magicians

by YSLmalone



Category: Hunter X Hunter
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Alternate Universe - Time Travel, Alternate Universe - Vampire, Dracula Influence/References, Illumi, Other, References to Ancient Greek Religion & Lore, hisoka - Freeform, romania - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-08
Updated: 2021-01-15
Packaged: 2021-03-12 03:00:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 9,194
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28628412
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/YSLmalone/pseuds/YSLmalone
Summary: Alternate universe where Hisoka time travels to an era when vampires existed. Hoping to meet Vlad Dracula, something goes wrong and he somehow lands in Count Illumi's study. During his time in Romania, he learns a lot about vampires- specifically, he learns a lot about Illumi. With enemies constantly plotting against Illumi, it's hard for the pair to experience peacefulness. Join the two on their mischievous adventures to save one another.OrHisoka and Illumi are up to no good.[violent/graphic trigger warnings will be placed at the beginning of chapters][aside from violence, it will be clean][updates on saturdays or irregular days bc uni!]
Kudos: 1





	1. Chapter 1

━━━━━━━━┛ ✠ ┗━━━━━━━━

_If you play cards with the dead, make sure you deal_

_and don't let them buy you drinks_

━━━━━━━━┓ ✠ ┏━━━━━━━━

**The** soft velvet was limp to the touch, Illumi handled the cape with great care as he tied the gold strings loosely around his white shirt’s collar. The dark emerald rich with intensity fitted boldly against his white frilled shirt and ebony black trousers. It was a cape that was given as a gift by a suitor and although he wasn’t planning on marrying her, he wore the cape anyway. True to her careful words, he looked regal in it, it draped from his shoulders as if it belonged- yet, it did, it was  _ made  _ to belong. 

He stood longer than necessary in front of the mirror, admiring the intricate gold embellishments and sewing around the hem of the cape. In all his long years of immortal life, he never really found something so astonishing and interesting to look at. 

Just as he was going to untie the cape and prepare for a relaxing bath, as he had a long and busy day tomorrow, there was a loud thud and clatter of glass and metal objects. Illumi froze momentarily before running out of the dressing room and to the sudden noise, which came from his desk. A strong scent of dirt and lemons filled the room and Illumi grew confused as to why he couldn’t smell it before. The room was quite large so he hurriedly flew to the other side of the room where his desk remained empty and his belongings thrown on the floor. The broken ink vial released a dark puddle of pitch black ink by the leg of the mahogany desk. It was then that he saw it, a hand struggling to stay still. 

Illumi peered over the desk and saw a man in strange white clothing attempting to stay upright but the ink under his palm made him slip repeatedly. The scent was coming from him and Illumi snarled before grabbing him by the back of his collar, yanking him upright. Now facing him, Illumi saw the mischief dancing in his eyes but he didn’t let himself become bothered by it. 

“Who are you?” Illumi demanded with ferocity in his voice.

“Ooh, that’s scary,” the man mumbled before visibly gulping and itching his neck nervously. “I just wanted to see what all the fuss was about with the Count.”

“That doesn’t answer my question, intruder,” Illumi tightened his grip on the fistful of material and sneered at the strange-looking man. 

“I’m Hisoka, you haven’t heard of me-”

“Hisoka,” Illumi boomed, “are you here to assassinate me? Are you aware of the Hell they sent you to?” He smiled cruelly. 

“Actually...I wasn’t sent here, I landed here by accident,” Hisoka explained calmly. 

Illumi’s stone expression faltered and he blinked dumbfoundedly, “what?” 

“If you let me down-” instantly, he was released and he fumbled to the ground. Hisoka tutted and grabbed his knees for support with his ink-tainted hands and stood up again. “As I was saying, I’m not here to assassinate you- I don’t even know who you are. I got here by accident, I’m looking for Count Vlad...I don’t know why it took me here, though,” Hisoka mumbled to himself as he ran his fingers through his hair before horrendously looking down at the ink on his hand. “Great, now I have ink in my hair.” 

“Young Vlad? I know him, he wishes to be my disciple,” Illumi said slowly and hesitantly gave Hisoka a scan. He was wearing foreign clothing, it was white with hints of a light shade of pink- it was certainly not what the men in Illumi’s kingdom wore. This stranger didn’t seem to be dangerous but it is always the innocent people you should be most wary of. 

“Dracula is your disciple?” Hisoka repeated.

“Well, he is a young prince in the neighbouring village and wishes to be my disciple but I instructed him to wait until he has...bloomed,” Illumi said with a finger on his chin.

“Right. Bloomed. Well, this is a disappointment. I can’t go back within a week, this card won’t let me. And my clothes are all dirty,” Hisoka was mumbling to himself as he picked on his clothes with his thumb and forefinger. “Are there any hotels- oh, wait, I mean rooms to rent-”

“What do you want with Vlad? As his future guardian, I must know.”

Hisoka stopped pacing around the room and glanced curiously at Illumi, “who are you?”

Illumi was taken aback by the sudden question and cleared his throat, “I am Count Illumi Zoldyck, known for my great leadership and strategic battles-”

“That’s strange, the history books never mentioned you…” Hisoka frowned to himself, lost in thought.

Illumi fiddled with the tassels of the cape, “who- who did you say never mentioned me?” 

“The history textbooks,” Hisoka waved a hand nonchalantly. “The hype is all about Vlad the Impaler, Vlad Dracula, some believe he was a blood-thirsty vampire that could shapeshift into a bat.”

“ _ I _ am a vampire...and I can shapeshift, why haven’t they mentioned me?” Illumi mumbled in a small offended voice. “Who are they? I demand to know, I will make them write about me.”

“Uh, yeah, where I’m from, it’s not easy for you to go there,” Hisoka chuckled.

“Where are you from? Are you a witch? You disguised your scent at first, didn’t you? Did you use some invisibility potion?” Illumi took a threatening step forward as he narrowed his eyes calculatively at Hisoka, who rolled his eyes and outstretched his hand to stop him from getting closer.

“Don’t grab me by the neck again,” he shook his head. “I’m not a witch-”

“My great aunt was a witch before they burned her at the stake, I think it’s- it’s perfectly normal for women to have superior power, a-and I don’t think they should be burned for it- so, so, if you’re a witch, it’s okay-”

“I’m not a witch,” Hisoka deadpanned. “I’m, how shall I put this, a traveller. I travel between dimensions and somehow I landed in this dimension. Although, I’m a beginner, so no matter how hard I try, I can’t travel again until a few days after.”

“I see. So where you’re from, they know of Vlad?” Illumi asked carefully and slowly.

“When Vlad is all grown up, yes,” Hisoka said impatiently.

“ _ Grown up _ \- can you foretell the future?” Illumi gasped and gripped onto Hisoka’s warm forearm. Hisoka hissed at the sudden coldness from being under the Count’s touch and pried his fingers off him. 

“No! I come  _ from  _ the future...why am I even explaining this to you, you won’t understand,” Hisoka sighed and rubbed his temple, leaving little prints of ink everywhere he touched. 

“I see, you must be tired. Well, Hisoka, I will see to it that you are well-looked after in my castle until you are ready to leave again. Perhaps, tomorrow I can take you to see Vlad since it is your desire, although he is a very shy boy. In return, you must- you  _ must  _ tell me all about where you are from and your travelling stories.”

Hisoka mumbled incoherently and tapped his foot impatiently, waiting to be led out of the room. “Oh, sorry about the mess earlier- oi, wait- why- I thought you said you were a vampire?” Hisoka flailed an arm at a circular reflective platter that stood upright against the glass cabinet doors, which showed the two of their heads side-by-side.

Illumi, confused and concerned, faced Hisoka, “I am,” he said slowly. 

“Then why can I see your reflection?” Hisoka quickly replied and raised an eyebrow. 

“Why would you not be able to see my reflection? Are you tired? Perhaps you are tired.”

“We’ve always been told that you can’t see a vampire’s reflection,” Hisoka muttered to himself in disbelief before walking towards the grand doors of Illumi’s study. Illumi quickly followed behind him.

“They are spreading false information about my people,” Illumi tutted and grabbed a fistful of his cape in annoyance. 

At the door, the guards at the end of the hallway stood alert and walked towards the Count in urgency and confusion. They worriedly looked at Hisoka who was casually peeking at the paintings hung on the wall between the lamps. The corridor wooden floor was covered by a dark red rug that rolled out from one end to the other, there were three other doors aside from the Count’s bedroom door and they led to; the dressing room, where all of his velvet gowns and silk robes and frilly shirts hung neatly and perfectly; the study, where shelves of books upon books and ancient scrolls were organised orderly in rows, and the glass dome ceiling allowed the room to shine brightly under the moon’s light; and a lavish bathroom, where luxurious stones were hand-crafted carefully to mould into a giant bathtub that the Count would spend a substantial amount of time in.

Hisoka tuned out as Illumi ordered his guards to call the maids and prepare a room for him. He gingerly touched the oil painting of a man in black robe with long hair similar to Illumi’s, in fact, Hisoka would have guessed this was Illumi’s portrait if the man in the painting didn’t have a moustache. He admired the rich and bold colours that were pure in these paintings, all those months of creating and mixing paints to use it just like that, in one go on a canvas.

He was confused why the teleportation card brought him here but he wasn’t  _ angry  _ about it. At least Count Illumi was hospitable and not some tyrant- that would have been a difficult situation to get out of. 

He glanced back at Illumi’s slender form, he was still listing the guards and maids on what to do, paying no attention to the stranger behind him. Illumi had incredibly long hair, it hung delicately down his back over the emerald cape that made him look royal. Although Hisoka hadn’t noticed or managed to get a peek of his fangs that supposedly all vampires have, Illumi was very pale- the type of pale where you lack the benefits from sunshine, almost sickly pale, there was nothing attractive about it but Hisoka didn’t find himself looking away in disgust, either. He was neutral about it. 

Illumi turned around to face Hisoka suddenly, he threw his arms wide open and stared at him with hollowed, dark eyes. 

“Welcome to my castle, my maids will take you to your room where you can refresh yourself and rest. We will be serving lunch in two hours.”

Hisoka frowned, “what time is it now?” 

Illumi looked expectantly at one of the maids who bowed her head and spoke up, “it is just past eleven, Sir.”

Hisoka frowned even more at the idea of eating dinner at past midnight but didn’t question it, they were vampires after all, their day starts when the rest of the world is asleep.

“That’s perfect, thank you.”

The Count watched on as the maids guided Hisoka out of the corridor and to his room, the guards stood next to each other again by the doorway and checked if the Count had any other orders. Receiving no answer, they stood straight by their post with their spears and remained silent for the rest of the night. Meanwhile, Illumi walked into his bedroom, suddenly realising he was still wearing the cape and flung it off him, throwing it on the floor as if it was laced with poison. Of course, a little poison could never hurt Illumi. He sat on the edge of his bed, resting his head on one of the posts and sighed loudly. It seemed too quiet now that Hisoka was away. 

A few minutes had dragged on until Illumi fought the laziness seeping inside him and stood up against his will; he was a Count and had Count business to do. As he entered the study, he noticed the mess caused by Hisoka’s  _ brilliant  _ entrance and he sighed again. It was remarkable how Hisoka managed to infiltrate the castle without being sensed or seen, Illumi was determined to figure out how he did it. He wasn’t scared either of Hisoka or anyone else that attempted to end his life, he was Count Illumi, feared by the people. Just hearing his name made the villagers shiver, and oh, what a sight it was when his enemies see him for the first time, the pure regret they reveal, so much so that they  _ become  _ regret. He has been on this Earth a little over a century but it was always the one thing he looked forward to; who would attempt to kill him today?

Illumi smiled to himself, lost in his thoughts as he glided down the grand stairs with his arms crossed over his chest. His guards found it quite amusing but not once did they dare to laugh about it- not even in private where the Count would never find them. 

“Where are all the maids?” Illumi demanded. 

Just then, a bundle of high-pitched giggles erupted from beyond the stairs to his left. Curious, Illumi rushed to see what was going on in the dining room. He was ready to release his anger at the maids that were clearly slacking until he saw them huddled around Hisoka, who was playing with a stack of cards. Now under the light, Illumi noticed just how red his hair was, and unlike before it was neatly combed down and shiny. Illumi scrutinised his appearance from the doorway and confirmed his hair was still wet from his bath, but his face was much brighter and clearer. It shone almost like the moon. 

Illumi blinked several times and cleared his throat, immediately, the four maids stood up straight and faced the Count obediently with their heads bowed. Illumi could  _ smell  _ the fear radiating from the women. 

“Oh, Illumi, I was just showing them a trick,” Hisoka smiled widely and his eyes were squinted shut. The king of mischief. 

It was surprising to hear his name being used so casually, even young Vlad addressed him by his title but Illumi guessed Hisoka wasn’t taught manners in his country, he seemed to have no sense of respect, the poor creature. 

“You have bewitched my servants,” Illumi raised an eyebrow and carefully placed his hands behind his back.

“I told you before, I’m not a witch,” Hisoka huffed and stood up from the velvet chair he was sitting on. 

Illumi glared at the women before him, “clear my study, it is too messy for me to focus in there.” 

The two watched silently as the women scrambled to leave the room in a hurry with their heads bowed. They deemed themselves lucky because Illumi didn’t like slackers at all, so for their head to be on their shoulders was like a miracle to them. If it wasn’t for Hisoka in the room, they would not have lived to see another moonrise. 

“Come, Hisoka, let’s occupy the sitting room,” Illumi gestured to the doorway and allowed Hisoka to follow behind him. “Say, what is your title?” 

“Well, nothing really, I just go by Hisoka.”

“Oh. You’re a commoner.”

“Is that a bad thing?” Hisoka raised an annoyed eyebrow and the Count frowned before replying. 

“Not if it’s you, no,” he said with an accomplished smile which made Hisoka laugh. 

The pair entered the sitting room, it was one of the largest rooms in the castle, the ballroom being the absolute largest. There were chaise lounges in the corner of the room accompanied by wall lamps lit with candles, there were small tables on the side of each plush sofa and a wider oak table in the middle of the room. There were green plants and miniature trees by the full-length windows, which were usually covered by the dark purple satin curtains. Tones of gold and red and purple hinted in every corner and area of the room, in the furniture, on the walls, in the carpet, on the curtains- it was a well-designed room that made you feel at ease and comfortable to be in. 

“Do you sleep in coffins?” Hisoka randomly asked, interrupting Illumi’s thoughts about the mysterious stack of cards in his hand.

“What?” Illumi exasperated.

“Do vampires sleep in coffins?” Hisoka repeated as though his question was not ludicrous. 

“No,” Illumi insisted, “that would be uncomfortable and not fit for a Count like me- no, of course not.”

“Oh.” 

Illumi glanced slyly at Hisoka, who was now fiddling with a jade-coloured ornament on the wide oak table. The white robe he wore was more fitting and easy on the eyes unlike his other clothes from before. Somehow, it made him look taller.

“Where did you get this robe from, anyway? It’s a  _ kimono _ , you know,” Hisoka mentioned, looking up at Illumi suddenly.

“A friend from Japan, he always sends me gifts and presents when he comes to visit,” Illumi smiled. 

“Count of Romania has connections in Japan? Interesting,” Hisoka mumbled to himself.

“What was that trick you were showing the maids?” Illumi couldn’t help but ask rather impatiently. 

Hisoka raised his eyebrows and maliciously smiled, like a deranged cousin Illumi had once who liked to set fire to insects for fun in his childhood. The poor child died from an unknown illness that started from his eyes and down to his chest. Illumi blinked away the sudden memory and focused on Hisoka’s shuffling.

“I am shuffling the deck of cards, okay? They’re all going to be mixed up so I won’t know the order of the cards, okay?”

Illumi raised an eyebrow and slowly situated himself on the sofa, “I understand the rules of card games and I am very familiar with the terminology,” he huffed.

“Oh, my bad. Okay, tell me when to stop, the top card in my left hand will be your card,” Hisoka began separating the cards by elegantly and swiftly pulling apart the deck like a spring that bounces back together. Illumi missed his chance to say stop but insisted to do it again since he was so mesmerised by the gentleness of Hisoka’s movements. “Now, remember it,” Hisoka instructed with wide eyes. Illumi nodded obediently, gripping the edge of the sofa’s arm, somewhat unable to contain his excitement. 

Hisoka shuffled the deck of cards again before throwing the fluttering cards into the air and somehow-  _ magically-  _ they disappeared. Just like that. Illumi gasped and could hardly move, he glanced under the table to see if the cards had fallen but no- there was no trace of the deck of cards. He cautiously looked back up at Hisoka who stood right beside him with a wide and plastered smile. 

“Hisoka?”

He bent down, legs kept straight and his face a few inches away from Illumi’s, and gently, he plucked something from behind Illumi’s ear. Hisoka feigned surprise as he retrieved a folded card, his knuckles grazing Illumi’s cheek.

He unfolded the card and smiled knowingly, “is this your card?”

Sure enough, the 3 of hearts card was facing Illumi, who gasped again and grabbed the card from Hisoka’s fingertips. He searched the card in desperation but he could not find any secrets that would reveal the trick. 

“That was witchcraft,” Illumi whispered.

Hisoka groaned and stood straight, “I’m not a witch,” he seethed.

“I know witches are treated as something one should not speak about in society, but I am a vampire and so are my villagers, and we have no ill thoughts about witches, so you do not need-”

“Count Illumi,” Hisoka drawled, grasping the Count’s full attention. “I’m not a witch- okay, look, at least call me a magician, I do know a few magic tricks but I’m not a witch!” 

“A magician,” Illumi whispered, hardly paying attention to Hisoka as he clutched onto the card and inspected it once more. “Where are the other cards?” 

Hisoka grinned and revealed a stack of cards in his hand, he was holding them the whole time but Illumi was so invested in the 3 of hearts card that he never noticed Hisoka was hiding a hand behind his back. 

“ _ How? _ ”

“I am not telling you.”

Hisoka slumped on the sofa opposite Illumi and stretched out his legs on the wide oak table, carefully watching Illumi to see if it disturbed him but Illumi remained unbothered about it. 

“Did you not want to rest?” Illumi asked after a moment of silence.

“Not really,” Hisoka sniffed. 

“Well, unfortunately, I do have business to finish. It is something I have been avoiding, too, so it’s quite necessary for me to finish it tonight.”

“What business?” Hisoka grew intrigued.

“Oh, nothing too difficult to handle- in fact, I might finish it quickly to meet you before we have lunch-”

“That’s fine but what business? I’m curious,” Hisoka sat up straight and intently looked into Illumi’s eyes.

Illumi blinked, “three days ago, my guards caught someone trying to sneak poison into the food I was planning to eat for lunch,” Illumi started, not missing the way Hisoka immediately frowned. “I ate the food anyway-”

“You  _ what? _ ” Hisoka ludicrously stared at Illumi with wide eyes and raised eyebrows. 

“I was hungry,” Illumi defended himself, “and poison has no effect on me, so I was completely safe. Anyhow, we’ve caught the perpetrator- he’s currently occupying a cell in the dungeons underground us. I just need to prod him for questions then kill him. A chore, to be frank,” Illumi waved his hand nonchalantly and stood up with a sigh. 

Hisoka smiled and bit his lip in disbelief, shaking his head to himself, “no way- I am coming with you,” he stated and stood up, too. 

Illumi thought about it for a moment but couldn’t figure any reasons against his coming along, so he wordlessly smiled and gestured for him to follow quickly. Besides, if it turned out Hisoka was planning to assassinate him, Illumi would gladly show him what happens to assassins that fail.


	2. Chapter 2

Warning: graphic descriptions of violence and blood. 

━━━━━━━━┛ ✠ ┗━━━━━━━━

_We are each our own devil,_

_and we make this world our hell_

━━━━━━━━┓ ✠ ┏━━━━━━━━

As the pair walked down many hallways, Illumi gestured to various ornaments, portraits and furniture, commenting on their origins and small backstories about how he obtained them. Hisoka found it difficult to contain his excitement as the Count told him many short stories that consisted of a lot of fighting and being rewarded with these ornaments as a peace offering and gratitude. The more Illumi spoke about his adventures across the world, the more Hisoka was confused as to why history never mentioned him. Maybe they did but it was only accessible to intellectuals and scholars who had all sorts of information about people from the past. They always do unfair things like that. 

“You should be careful, by the way,” Illumi said when it grew too silent after a while.

“Careful with what?”

“Careful around here, we’re all vampires and you are clearly a human. Of course, no one in my castle would dare to harm you but if you leave these grounds, it would not be a pleasant experience for you,” Illumi stepped on the cobblestone ground and turned around to face Hisoka, who was on the last couple of stairs.

“So, you guys do drink human blood for fun?” Hisoka commented as he stood beside Illumi, causing him to frown before replying.

“Not for fun, more as a necessity...well, when you first turn into a vampire you get a sudden hunger for any kind of blood, not just human. As you become more experienced with your new body, new senses and new power, you only drink it to become stronger. Human blood is very beneficial for us. There are some vampires so strong that they can survive years without  _ any  _ kind of blood.”

“Right,” Hisoka and Illumi turned a corner where a guard suddenly appeared. The guard escorted them down further into the dungeon which was dark and dim, save for the occasional candlestick attached to the stone walls. “We were told you kill humans because the blood is tasty.”

“Tasty? We don’t kill for  _ taste _ ,” Illumi defended himself desperately. “Some vampires do lose control of themselves but that’s because our desires for power are simply greater. Aside from that small issue, us vampires are generally harmless. We are only dangerous if you threaten our lives.”

“Whatever your intention, you are still killing a human, though,” Hisoka pressed. He didn’t really care too much about vampires using humans as livestock but he wanted to see how much he could pester the Count before it made him angry. Hisoka preferred to live life on the edge, as you can see. 

“Well, that’s only because there is no way to...stop the blood. It all comes leaking out and not many of us vampires are medical experts,” Illumi said regretfully. 

His expression changed as he stopped in front of a cell where a small shadowy form was sitting in the corner with their back against the wall. Hisoka glanced around and noticed this was the only cell currently occupied. There were around six more identical cells along the wall, and at the end of the corridor, there was a door that was barricaded with a log of wood that made Hisoka curious about what was behind it.

“Here we are,” Illumi said and gestured for the guard to unlock the cell doors. Then, the guard carried a candlestick closer to the prisoner and Illumi walked inside, peering down at him. 

Hisoka stood by the door and watched silently. 

There was a damp smell in the cold dungeon, Hisoka didn’t notice it before but now that he was in the heart of it, the scent was prominent. He leaned against the cold bars and crossed his legs, watching Illumi with a small smile that was not innocent at all. However, the smile wiped off immediately when Hisoka finally saw that the prisoner was only a young boy. 

The boy was visibly shaking and refused to look up out of pure fear, he hugged his knees tighter to his chest and mumbled incoherently. Illumi knelt slowly and gently lifted his head with his cold hand under the boy’s chin. Hisoka now stood straight with concern and curiosity- curious to see what punishment a ten year old boy would receive. 

Sighing, the Count held out his left hand and the gold bulbous buttons on the cuff of his sleeve glimmered under the dim light. He then fiddled with one of the buttons and plucked it out from his shirt, revealing that it was in fact a pin. The sharp miniscule tip glistened as he brought it closer to the boy’s face. Immediately, he flicked it at the boy’s forehead and it stayed perfectly erect as it pierced deep into his skin. Wordlessly, the poor boy’s sorrowful eyes widened for a split second before seeming lifeless, as the light and any inkling of hope drained out of them. 

Illumi turned to Hisoka with a mischievous grin, “I’ve hypnotised him,” he said and didn’t give Hisoka a chance to respond as he focused back on the boy, who was almost limp under the Count’s hands. “Who sent you to poison me?” 

“Count Luca,” was the boy’s immediate response in a monotone voice. 

This was the first time Hisoka witnessed actual hypnotism and he was surprised to see it work so well and smooth. He knew vampires possessed powers of hypnotism but he didn’t know it worked the way the Count did it. He sensed some sort of power from those pins that he definitely needed to ask Illumi about later.

“The human? Why is  _ he  _ interested in me?” Illumi pondered aloud as he frowned and glanced down to his left, racking his brain to think of a time that he possibly offended Luca. 

“He wants to kill you,” the boy replied surprisingly. Illumi looked back up at him with a smile and patted his head. 

“You have been of great help, now close your eyes.”

Hisoka knew it, of course the  _ great  _ Count Illumi would release a child forced into this without any form of punishment aside from being locked up in a cell. If Hisoka was in his position, he, too, would release the child. It was evident that this Count Luca sent a child to attempt an assassination knowing the Count would not punish the boy. The present world books and movies had it all wrong- vampires had a sense of dignity and sympathy, so it seems. 

Illumi stood up after plucking out the pin from the young boy’s forehead and the guard placed a candle on the candlestick hooked on the wall, and without being ordered, the guard unlocked the shackles around the boy’s hands. The boy looked up at Illumi with wide eyes and his mouth hanging ajar, he gently caressed his hand and mumbled again so silently that none of the adults heard his words clearly. The clanging of heavy chains echoed in the dungeon and Hisoka took a step toward Illumi’s back, his hand stretched to place it on his shoulder.

“Illu-”

But Illumi suddenly pounced on the boy, gripping his thin linen top with force and determination as if he was catching a rabbit with his bare hands. Hisoka stood in shock as the Count lifted his right hand against the boy’s throat. His fingernails instantly grew long and sharp, like little knives waiting to skewer, the veins around his fingers were prominent under his skin and under the flickering amber light, Illumi’s eyes flashed a deep shade of crimson.

It wasn’t seconds before Illumi swiped at the boy’s neck and a moment later, his head came clean off. It hit the wall to his left with a deafening hollow thud. His blood splattered on the wall, like ruby jewels encrusted in the cracks of the stones, and pearls of blood dripped down on the back of the boy’s head, which laid motionless on the ground. His lifeless eyes were staring directly at Hisoka, who covered his mouth with the back of his hand, too shocked to say anything and too shocked to look away. 

Illumi had let go of the frail, drooping body and it plummeted backwards to the ground, another soft thud that reigned in the dungeon. Hisoka took a moment to look away but not before seeing the Count dip two fingers in the boy’s open throat. He didn’t watch as he turned around and held the bridge of his nose, taking in a deep breath. The putrid stench of blood filled his nostrils and Hisoka gritted his teeth. There was no need to continue watching when he knew what Illumi was going to do with that blood. 

“Put his head on a spike and bury his body. Don’t put it with the other heads, I forbid any dog or child to urinate on it. Count Luca will be wondering what happened to the boy, so we will show him. After three days, bury the head, as well.”

It was then that Hisoka understood, he was paying attention earlier but he wasn’t  _ understanding _ . The boy knew all along that there was no way out of this, the Count would behead him with his bare hands, so he was whispering words of prayer, yet Hisoka refused to understand this in the moment. He was naïve to believe Illumi would release the child. The horrifying images of the boy’s soulless eyes staring back at him haunted the very corners of his mind. He blinked harshly and shook his head to get rid of the image but all he could see were countless eyes.

“Hisoka?” Illumi’s soft voice filled his ears and Hisoka snapped out of it. “We can go now.”

A heavy and cold arm fell on Hisoka’s shoulders and tightly gripped onto him, guiding him out of the cell. Illumi looked up at Hisoka, he squeezed his shoulder and whispered what he believed were words of comfort.

“I didn’t want to kill him.”

Hisoka glanced down at Illumi quickly before focusing on the stone steps ahead of them, “it’s not my business, I’m an outsider after all,” he stated. 

Illumi released Hisoka’s shoulder and clapped his hands once, “you don’t need to worry, I don’t get many assassination attempts. Have you killed anyone, Hisoka?” Illumi watched him with wide innocent eyes and it scared Hisoka, he wondered how someone could seem so trustworthy and sinless when talking about murder. 

“Yes, but...never a child,” Hisoka replied slowly. 

Illumi’s eyes lightened up at his response and he gasped childishly, “oh, we’re just as bad as each other- you have to tell me about it over lunch!”

Hisoka wasn't sure if he could manage lunch due to the scenes he just witnessed but he preferred not to complain about it to the Count. He wasn't disgusted or thought ill of the Count, he just simply didn't expect him to go that far without hesitation. Perhaps it could have been worse, at least Illumi didn’t torture the boy. 

Upon reaching the dining room, the pair took their seats, Illumi at the head of the table and Hisoka adjacent to him. The dining room was a marvelous room with themes of gold and white reoccurring; the white wooden chairs had soft gold velvet covers with comfortable padding underneath, the dining table was oval shaped with carved designs around the perimeter and gold brass ornaments, like a circular platter, a vase with dark roses and jade figurines of mythical creatures on a trinket box, sat neatly on the middle of the table. There was a large window with panels behind the head of the table that was usually hidden by gold satin curtains during the day. At nightfall, the moonlight shone directly through the window and onto the table where the jade figurines and golden brass ornaments glowed and radiated in the room. The dining room was refreshingly the brightest room in the castle, for the Count preferred to see and enjoy what he was eating. 

“It’s so nice to have guests join me for lunch, not many vampires have their taste palettes intact so they simply don’t eat,” Illumi murmured and Hisoka raised his eyebrows.

“They don’t need to eat?” 

“I’ve told you before, they drink enough blood to last them months, it’s enough to satisfy their hunger,” Illumi replied. “Unlike them, I get hungry and I can actually taste my food, so I eat,” Illumi shrugged.

“Why do you get hungry and the others don’t?” Hisoka frowned and leaned his elbow on the table and rested his head against the palm of his hand. 

“Well...I’m not sure if you are aware but I was once human-”

Hisoka’s eyes bulged and he blinked in surprise, “you were  _ human? _ Who turned you into a vampire?” He asked quickly.

“Oh, some terrible man I am yet to find,” Illumi waved it off and smiled rather awkwardly. Hisoka guessed it was quite a sensitive subject, so he felt no need to press on the matter- for now, anyway. 

“So...the other vampires don’t get hungry because they drink blood but you do get hungry,” Hisoka’s eyebrows were pulled together as he thought hard. “Does that mean you’re not drinking blood?” He frowned.

Illumi looked surprised and he fidgeted with the cuff of his sleeve, “yes, that would be correct. I don’t see the need to drink blood anymore. So I eat food- a lot of it.”

“But- why? You’ll need to eventually- even if it’s just for pleasure,” Hisoka placed his palm on the table as he emphasised his words. 

“Maybe one day but not today.”

_ He’s hiding something _ , Hisoka thought. It was clear as day that his feigned smile and careless shrug were hiding the truth. Was he lying about drinking blood for Hisoka’s benefit? Or was he actually not drinking blood for a legitimate reason? Even so,  _ why _ ? Hisoka didn’t know much about the Count at all, of course, nothing personal will be revealed on the first day of meeting each other. So, Hisoka vowed to stay patient for once rather than forcing the truth out of someone. After all, he had a week ahead of him to get to know more about the intriguing Count.

“You didn’t drink the boy’s blood,” Hisoka said but his tone made it sound more of a question.

Illumi chuckled nervously and pursed his lips together before finding the words to explain, “I...licked it,” he shrugged. “I am...I have to. Otherwise, my people would not have faith in me anymore-”

“You- you keep saying ‘my people’ but you’re not a king or some royalty, like Vlad. What are you?” Hisoka said frustratedly as he waved his hands around unknowingly. 

“Hisoka, there is no need to lose temper over this. I understand your disappointment in not knowing. I will explain it all to you- ah! Here comes lunch,” Illumi clapped his hands together as he looked above Hisoka’s head and at his maids that were swiftly and delicately holding silver trays with golden handles. 

Hisoka had only time traveled four times since he discovered the teleportation card but not once had he been invited to such an extravagant banquet for two. Maids entered the room, all lined up orderly and neatly, one after the other like dominos, they seemed to multiply and multiply as they piled countless trays and plates onto the table. They had delicate fingers and graceful walks back and forth as though they had practiced for this moment their whole lives.

The food was almost new to Hisoka, some dishes he couldn’t name and others he had no idea what the main ingredient was- mostly because he knew nothing about the Romanian traditions and culture. But he could tell there were four different types of steaming stew, many dishes had some sort of meat in it, all cut with precision and care, and there were also rolls and thick bread placed on either side of the main dish; a pig’s head. Hisoka stared in awe at the enormity of the perfectly bronzed head and wondered if the two of them could ever finish all of this. 

Illumi smiled from ear to ear and gestured to the table with his hand, “we made this lunch in honour of you, Hisoka. Eat, my friend.”


	3. Chapter 3

━━━━━━━━┛ ✠ ┗━━━━━━━━

_The only way to get rid of temptation_

_is to yield to it._

━━━━━━━━┓ ✠ ┏━━━━━━━━

Illumi moved onto his fourth plate as he cautiously watched Hisoka, who was slowly chewing on a bread roll.  _ He seems to have a small appetite _ , he thought to himself and pushed a bowl of beef stew in front of Hisoka, he smeed alarmed and attempted to hand the bowl back but Illumi was determined to make Hisoka eat it. 

“I won’t be able to eat all this,” Hisoka muffled as the food in his mouth balled up against his cheek, somewhat resembling a small animal, like a bunny, which made Illumi snicker. “What is it?”

“Nothing, nothing, eat as much as you can, then,” Illumi waved it off.

“Well, will you tell me more about yourself? I still want to know.”

The Count raised his eyebrows slowly and concentrated on Hisoka as he mindlessly fiddled with the  _ mici  _ using his fork, the meat rolled around the plate, coating itself in mustard before tumbling off the plate and rolling once more on the table. 

“Your sausage,” Hisoka frowned and pointed at the meat to which Illumi finally realised what he had done. 

“Oh-” Illumi stabbed it with the fork and shoved it in his mouth, smiling bashfully with his mouthful at Hisoka who smiled a little in return.

He was childish whenever he wanted to be, Hisoka noted. 

“Alright, I will inform you of our history,” Illumi swallowed his food, catching Hisoka’s interest as he perked up in his seat and watched Illumi with careful eyes. “As you well know, I am a vampire and so are the people in this village, in fact, there are no humans occupying the lands near us. They choose to keep their distance and it has always been like that. Vampires do not blend well with the humans, their first instinct is to attack us...which...is somewhat understandable, considering we...kill them…” Illumi blinked as he railed off, not knowing where he was going with the story. 

“Anyway, think of us vampires as a tribe of some sort, a tribe that can only be found here, in Romania. We have not heard of vampires travelling to other countries, only the humans here tolerate us and are used to us,” Illumi glanced away momentarily and exhaled rather loudly. “Well, they used to tolerate us. The last time humans were interested in vampires, it caused a war and shockingly, many vampires died.”

Hisoka grew concerned, he realised he was gripping his fork tightly and sitting on the edge of his chair. He loosened his grip and relaxed his body, still paying careful attention to Illumi who was pondering.

“That was seventy years ago and my Master died, too, so I took his place as his only disciple. My Master was a nobleman, he had the wealth to look after many vampires and create his own village and townspeople  _ three _ centuries ago. We were like his soldiers and when the time came, we were ready to fight. We owed him everything, it was an honour to fight for him,” Illumi placed his fork down and leaned his elbow on the table. “So, many of us died, including the Master. They attacked us when we least expected it- I’d say a good two hundred people died. All the villagers you see now are those who survived. The humans are relentless, they cling onto revenge, like it’s gold.”

“I believe they are trying to protect the future generations,” Hisoka added. 

“Yes, that, too. Well, anyway, I’m trying to prohibit human blood amongst the villagers but I am uncertain it will work. The villagers get so angry over anything I suggest, they just don’t understand, it’s for their own sake and safety,” Illumi shook his head and rolled his eyes tiredly. “Sometimes I wonder why I’m still alive. To endure suffering?” Illumi scoffed.

“What have you suffered? You live in this castle, you have the respect of many people, you have such powers that not even poison can kill you,” Hisoka squinted his eyes and faked a cheery smile as he rested his chin on the palm of his hand. “What type of leader sits on his high chair and complains all night?” 

“You wouldn’t last a day in my seat,” Illumi glared at Hisoka’s face. 

“Well, the fact they have affected your mind and emotions, I don’t think you lasted a day, either,” Hisoka laughed.

“ _ What? _ ” Illumi seethed.

“They’ve already won- the humans, there isn’t even a war between you and they’ve already won. They’ve infiltrated your mind and all you are is gloomy and moody and wishing for death, like a coward-”

“I’m not a coward!”

“So, what will you do?” Hisoka leaned forward, closer to Illumi as he delicately crossed one leg over the other and rested his elbow on his thigh. He watched Illumi with slanted, scheming eyes, he watched the host uncomfortably shift in his seat and tuck a long strand of hair behind his ear nervously. 

“W-what do you mean?” Illumi asked finally.

Hisoka scoffed and shook his head, all at once, he stood up and paced back and forth behind Ilumi. “There is a man who wants you dead and most likely, he wants your people dead, too. He just sent a child to poison you. What will you do? Are you going to sit here and complain about the villagers not listening to you? Are you going to allow your enemies to kill your tribe? As they plot and plan numerous ways to attack your village, are you going to ignore it? None of this will stop until you  _ make  _ them stop. A sudden war happened before, who is to say it won’t happen again?” Hisoka stood directly behind Illumi, looming over him as he faced the front, making Illumi’s breath hitch with each vicious word Hisoka released. “What will you do?” Hisoka placed a heavy hand on Illumi’s shoulder. 

Illumi, with barbarity in his eyes, glared at nothing in particular as he was reminded of the previous war and the atrocities it caused. His previous Master gave up his life for Illumi and the villagers with no hesitation. Whether he liked it or not, he was a leader and was obligated to protect his people. In that moment, Illumi forgot every belief and promise he made as a human, he lost the pieces and fragments of his mind that held him together to keep him sane and closed his eyes.

“I will stop them.”

Hisoka squeezed Illumi’s shoulder before gently patting it thrice, he bent over and situated his face beside Illumi’s; the warmth of Hisoka’s breath fanned on Illumi’s cheek. “How exhilarating,” he whispered. 

  
  


*******

The gentle scraping of pen on paper could be heard in the study, Illumi watched the ink seep into the paper as he placed the pen back into the ink holder with an accomplished smile. He gathered the loose papers and with jittery fingers, he inserted them in an envelope, rushing to prepare the wax seal. Hisoka, who was leaning against the balcony doors, stared out at the moon with longing in his eyes, he sighed once more, grabbing Illumi’s attention.

“What is it?” Illumi mumbled as he patiently waited for the crimson wax to melt over the fire of a candle. 

“I’m suddenly craving gum,” Hisoka pined.

“What?” Illumi looked at him confusedly for a quick moment before briskly reaching for the wax. He gently poured it over the envelope and grabbed the heavy stamp, the wooden handle fit perfectly in his fist, as he placed it carefully on the wax and pressed it down for a short while. “There we go,” he smiled to himself and patted the envelope, “writing brings me joy, I should write more often.”

“I don’t see why you dragged me with you, I wanted to look around,” Hisoka grumbled and pushed himself off the door, his white robe fluttered along with his every movement. 

“I needed you to read over it and not my usual scribe, right now, this remains between us and my good friend when he receives the letter,” Illumi had a hint of urgency and excitement in his tone, he then cleared his throat and regained his composure. This was a serious matter.

“You have a lot of faith in your ‘good friend’,” Hisoka pointed out. He swiftly sat on the edge of Illumi’s desk and tapped his fingers on the wood, a mixture of impatience and curiosity circulated in him.

The study was an impressive room that Hisoka didn’t appreciate properly the first time he landed here. There were endless rows of books, some looked ancient and close to falling apart, whereas others shone brightly due to how new they were. There was also the dome ceiling made of glass right above their heads, it never ceased to mesmerize Hisoka every time he craned his neck to look straight up at the night sky. The sea of stars glistened back at him, and proudly, he remembered a few constellations that a close friend taught him one night when there was a low level of light pollution. 

“Yes, of course, I have known him just recently but he is very trustworthy and incredibly powerful.”

“Oh? What’s his name? Maybe the history books have mentioned him.”

Illumi gravely looked at Hisoka, who was still glancing up at the sky, and said, “if you recognise his name, please don’t tell me, it will make me sad again. His name is Chrollo Lucilfer.”

Hisoka looked down at Illumi, thinking if he had heard that name before but nothing in particular came into mind. He shrugged and went back to watching the sky.

“Well?” Illumi urged.

Hisoka raised an eyebrow, “well, what?” 

“Have they written books about him?” Illumi emphasised by nodding his head slowly with widened eyes.

Hisoka’s eyebrows were drawn together as he frowned, “you told me not to tell you if I know of him,” he said slowly with confusion laced in his voice. 

“Never mind that, do you know him?” Illumi grabbed a fistful of Hisoka’s sleeve and tugged it harshly. 

“No, I don’t know him, never heard of him,” Hisoka laughed. “What strong force you have,” he tutted as he pried Illumi’s fingers off his crumpled sleeve and he attempted to smooth out the newly made wrinkles. 

Illumi, with pride and triumph, leaned back in his chair and nodded once. “Good. Now, I need to send this letter off.”

Illumi thrust his hand to the window a few feet behind him, a narrow beam of green light shot at window latch and it suddenly opened wide, the sound of the metal bar around the glass hitting the wall grasped Hisoka’s full attention; he watched with interest and amusement as a small black bat fluttered inside the room. The window door lingered open, the gentle swaying almost mimicked the bat’s wings.

“A bat!” Hisoka exclaimed with a short laugh.

“Bats adore me,” Illumi mentioned inquisitively and held out his palm for the bat to land on it. 

Illumi placed the envelope under the bat’s mouth to which it leaned forward and pecked it once before grabbing it with his mouth. It was quite amusing to see such a small animal carry a wide envelope almost bigger than its body. Illumi gently patted its head and whispered for the bat to fly. 

Hisoka stood up and peered out of the window to watch the bat fly away, when suddenly a swarm of black oscillating miniature demon-like wings covered a wide expanse of the sky. They were silent creatures, surrounding the one bat with the envelope, which was so well hidden now that Hisoka lost sight of it. They flew like a flock of sparrows, every movement was rhythmic and symmetrical as though they were putting on a performance for Illumi and Hisoka. Illumi stood beside Hisoka and the pair silently watched the swarm of bats grow smaller further away in the distance.

“Illumi,” Hisoka started as he continued to stare out of the window. “How do you use those pins? The one you used on the boy to hypnotise him.” Hisoka finally glanced at Illumi, the wind caressed his long black hair, making a few strands gently sway behind him over his shoulders. Hisoka couldn’t help but think just how opulent he looked. 

Illumi met Hisoka’s wandering eyes and smiled slowly, “they contain my powers. It is easier to control people when all I have to do is aim a pin at their forehead, rather than having to physically touch them.”

Hisoka raised his eyebrows in surprise, “oh, like  _ nen _ ,” he mumbled to himself. 

“You know what  _ nen  _ is?” Illumi said, equally surprised. “Are you sure you are not a vampire?”

“No,” Hisoka chuckled, “I think...maybe  _ nen  _ powers were passed down and taught over the years. All my friends use it, too,” Hisoka hummed, lost in thought. 

“I suppose that is true, my Master taught  _ nen  _ to me and I will eventually teach it to others. I’m just surprised because not many vampires or humans know what  _ nen  _ is.”

“Well, where I’m from,  _ nen  _ isn’t popular there, either-”

“Hisoka,” Illumi interrupted and grabbed onto Hisoka’s shoulders, making him completely face Illumi. “Are there-” Illumi stopped and sighed, he avoided Hisoka's confused expression and tried again, “are there...well...where you’re from...um. Never mind. Where are my manners?” Illumi laughed nervously and swiped down at Hisoka’s arms, “I’m deeply sorry for grabbing you like that.” 

Hisoka, still facing Illumi and confused, smiled a little and ran his fingers through his hair, “I find it hard to believe you’re a vampire leader.” 

Illumi looked down at his boots shyly and it suddenly dawned on him that Hisoka needed to see the village and town, it all belonged to Illumi, after all, and like a proud leader and Count, he should show it off. 

“When I was human, around a century ago, I was a Count, and although I am more than that now because I lead my own people and live in a castle, the title Count has stayed with me,” Illumi gazed out of the open window once again, watching branches and leaves sway tremendously along with the wind. “And I prefer it like that...it reminds me of better days. Anyway, I want to invite you to the village. I will show you the people’s handiwork and these amazing relics they found on their journeys- they store in this hut and a husband and wife look after them, you would love it, really, they contain magic.”

Hisoka crossed his arms over his chest and nodded, “I was hoping to tour around the village, anyway.”

Illumi smiled, “great, I will send one of the servants to relay the message to the people, now. We will see the village tomorrow since dawn is near.”

“Oh, so you vampires are allergic to the sun?” 

“If we spend a few days in the sun, we start to blister and that can be quite painful if it doesn’t heal quickly,” Illumi informed. 

“Interesting. Well, it’s way past my bedtime, so I’m off,” Hisoka brushed past Illumi and walked towards the door, “see ya,” he called over his shoulder.

“Sleep well,” Illumi spoke in a hushed tone, unaware if Hisoka heard him or not.

The Count watched the strange man walk away, the white robe over his broad back flowed from side-to-side as he took long yet calm strides, furthering himself away from Illumi. Finally, he was out of sight and Illumi released a breath he didn’t notice he was holding. He blinked himself back into reality and gathered his hair in his hand, holding it up in a slight ponytail. He let the wind briskly touch his neck as he closed his eyes and stood motionless for a while. 

The face of his Master visited his mind again, it was the face of a man who lost his family, his title, and everything he worked hard for. A man who was wronged by the universe and fate but still, the legacy of his kindness lived on. A man who was on the brink of madness but allowed no one to push him there. Illumi released his hair and shut the windows with his cold hands, he latched them tight and looked at his ghostly reflection in the window. In the distance, he could hear the sweet tones of a lyre, the notes played gently and softly, lulling him and so, entranced, he left the study. 

Illumi couldn’t help but think how alike he and his Master were. 

  
  



End file.
